What color is #38351B?

#38351B is a very dark yellow. In RGB it is rgb(56, 53, 27), and in HSL hsl(54, 35%, 16%).

Is #38351B accessible as text?

On white, #38351B has a contrast ratio of 12.40:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.69:1 (fails). For text placed on #38351B, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #38351B?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is olive-800 (#2B2B22).

What colors go well with #38351B?

#38351B pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #1B1D37. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #38351B below.

Is #38351B good for buttons?

#38351B works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #38351B — black text only reaches 1.69:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #38351B the same as CSS darkslategray?

No — #38351B is not the CSS named color darkslategray, but darkslategray (#2F4F4F) is the closest CSS named color by perceptual color distance — it sits in a different color family, so treat it as a rough reference, not a match.

#38351B Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #38351B

Not just a swatch — here's how #38351B works with other colors. Named schemes with #38351B in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #38351B Secondary #784C1F Surface #E7DAC0 Accent #3F513E Anchor #5B2226

Bistre plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Warm Autumn Interior Dominant · 5 colors

Dominant #38351B Secondary #B1680C Accent #6E7A48 Surface #F3ECDD Anchor #3A2B1F

This palette keeps Bistre as the dominant warm neutral, balanced by muted terracotta and olive earth tones and grounded by a deep espresso anchor.

Japanese Sand Base · 5 colors

Base #38351B Surface #EFE9DC Highlight #F6F1E7 Secondary #B8AF9F Ink #2B2723

Bistre sets a calm, sun-bleached base here, wrapped in bone and paper off-whites and a soft greige, with a single ink accent for wabi-sabi restraint.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #38351B Anchor #141210 Accent #C7A34B Secondary #2B291E Surface #F2EDE3

Bistre carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F7F4EF Accent #38351B Secondary #5B5A51 Support #999186 Ink #17140F

Bistre is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Bistre carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #38351B actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 57/100

Neutral

Balanced temperature — flexible, sits between warm and cool schemes.

Softness 33/100

Low

Middle-weight — neither delicate nor heavy.

Depth 64/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 45/100

Moderate

Loosely natural — an earthy edge without being rustic.

Vintage feel 45/100

Moderate

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 67/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 16/100

Very low

Quiet and neutral — a supporting tone, not a signature.

UI accent fit 32/100

Low

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 51/100

Moderate

Usable as a tinted surface in measured doses.

Print safety 93/100

Very high

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #38351B

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #38351B with

Espresso Bottle Green Graphite Greige Army Green

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 12.4:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #DFDDC9 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #30371B — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #38351B at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #38351B;
  --color-base-rgb: 56 53 27;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(32.5% 0.042 102.6);
  --color-50: #FAFAF4;
  --color-100: #F2F1E3;
  --color-200: #E4E2C8;
  --color-300: #CECAA1;
  --color-400: #B6B07C;
  --color-500: #99935C;
  --color-600: #77724B;
  --color-700: #565339;
  --color-800: #393728;
  --color-900: #23221A;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  bistre: {
    50: '#FAFAF4',
    100: '#F2F1E3',
    200: '#E4E2C8',
    300: '#CECAA1',
    400: '#B6B07C',
    500: '#99935C',
    600: '#77724B',
    700: '#565339',
    800: '#393728',
    900: '#23221A',
  },
}

$base: #38351B;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #FAFAF4;
$base-100: #F2F1E3;
$base-200: #E4E2C8;
$base-300: #CECAA1;
$base-400: #B6B07C;
$base-500: #99935C;
$base-600: #77724B;
$base-700: #565339;
$base-800: #393728;
$base-900: #23221A;
$base-hover: #2C2A15;
$base-subtle: #D0CCAE;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#38351B",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#FAFAF4",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#F2F1E3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#E4E2C8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#CECAA1",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#B6B07C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#99935C",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#77724B",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#565339",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#393728",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#23221A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #38351B

Color Lab

Pairs with #38351B

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export